Ali Bongo is preparing to organize his African Cup of Nations. Considering the possibility of a rejection of this competition by the Gabonese patriots, morons dare to send us messages arguing that we must not mix sport and politics. But to these we answer calmly by proposing the story of John Carlos and Tommie Smith.

In 1968 the USA were experiencing an upheaval. Martin Luther King was assassinated, so was Bobby Kennedy. Black protests were being brutally suppressed by the police. Under these circumstances, two young black athletes, of 23 and 24 year old respectively, called Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were being asked to keep smiling and shut up, while they were representing their country at the Olympics in Mexico. They were told that the Olympics were this supposed sanctuary of sportsmanship, brotherhood and love, where the world’s problems were temporarily put aside.

But young Tommie Smith and John Carlos were not naïve. They knew that the black civil rights movement was more important than sport. Having won the 200 meter, Smith and Carlos decided to share the only pair of black gloves they had, one wearing one glove on the right hand, the other on the left hand, and raise their fists during the US national anthem, a display of the Black Power salute, which was considered subversive by the US government.

Carlos and Smith knew that what they were doing was far greater than any athletic feat; they wanted to affirm the dignity of their people.

Because of their action, Smith and Carlos were expelled not only from the Olympic Games, but also from the US team. But time works in the sense of justice; as today, everybody recognizes that these two young athletes were right to do what they did because the treatment that was being inflicted to the black population in the USA was appalling and inacceptable. Today a statue immortalizing their act has been erected on the campus of San Jose State University in California (see the second picture above).

Those who think that sports and politics do not mix, have no idea what they are talking about.

English version Dear compatriots, Your dialogue begins on March 28, we are told. Have fun, the food will certainly be excellent and the drinks as well; but especially, the per diem will have to be significant because you would not go for nothing! We would just like, right now, to remind you of some principles; for when we will expose them to you after your dialogue, which will be a failure, do not say to us: "I did not know!" On democracy, political scientists say: "So worth the elections, so much is a nation." What does that mean? Simply that voting is a citizen duty, a sovereign power of the people to say yes or no to those who claim or want to lead them. In the case of Gabon, on 27 August 2016, the majority of Gabonese clearly said no to corruption, no to the profiteers, not to state banditry, not to monarchy; but yes to a new experience, yes to the rule of law, yes to competence, yes to pluralism etc... Not only did Ali Bongo rob th…